LESSON 1: THE MEANING OF HUMAN ACTS

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Define what is human acts;

2. Distinguish human acts from acts of man;

3. Explain the attributes essential of human acts.

INTRODUCTION

It's important to understand that when we talk about Christian morality, we're not just talking about any
actions that humans do. We're talking about actions that are specific to humans and have moral value.
We also consider something called the "fundamental option" which is an important part of our lesson.
We will also talk about where our ideas of right and wrong come from when it comes to human actions.
Lastly, we will talk about things that can change whether someone is responsible for their actions or not.
When a human does something without really thinking about it, we call it an "act of man" which is
something that both humans and animals can do. But when a human does something with thought and
a sense of right and wrong, we call it a "human act" which shows that they have strong morals.

A. WHAT IS HUMAN ACTS?

 An act that is performed only by a human being and thus is proper to man.
 One can therefore identify the human act with the voluntary act.
 A voluntary act proceeds either from the will itself.
 Acts of people asleep or under the influence or other drugs. The loss of direct responsibility is
voluntary, however, the power of will might still be present.

ACTS OF MAN

 Acts of man are instinctive, such as physiological in nature.

 These are actions done under the circumstances of ignorance, passion, fear, violence, and
habits.
 Acts that are performed by men without being master of them through his intellect and will,
therefore acts of man are involuntary actions.

 Acts of persons without the proper use of reason. For example, children or innate persons.

Actions are done under the circumstances of;

 Ignorance — In general, it is a lack of knowledge regarding a certain thing.

  Fear — Is a mental agitation brought on by the apprehension of some present or imminent
danger.
 Passion — Considered as mental responses, either tendencies towards desirable objects or
tendencies away from undesirable objects.
 Habits — Is a constant disposition that tends to influence one to perform repeatedly similar
actions.
 Violence — Is a force exerted on a person by another in order to compel him to perform a
certain action against his will.

B. ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF HUMAN ACTS

• KNOWLEDGE

– An act is done knowingly, when the doer is conscious (all senses are active, sensory-perception is
functional) and aware of the reason and the consequences on his actions.

– Knowledge is supplied by the intellect and it directs the will to want the object it proposes.

• FREEDOM

– An act is done when the doer acts by his own initiative and choice without being forced to do so
by another person or situation.

– It makes the doer the father of his acts and thus, the doer is responsible for those acts. He can
acknowledge that he has done them because he wanted to and he can explain why he wanted to do
them.

• VOLUNTARINESS

– An act is done willfully when the doer consents to the acts, accepting it as his own, and assumes
accountability for its consequences

– It is naturally inclined to the good, but man may sometimes deliberately choose evil.

TYPES OF VOLUNTARINESS

1. Direct Voluntariness – An act is directly voluntary when the act is intended fort its own sake,
either as a means or as an end.
example: Steering one's car through a left turn signal
2. Indirect Voluntariness – Is an act which is not intended for its own sake but which merely
follows as a regrettable consequence of an action directly willed.
example: Going to a party to enjoy with friends but making trouble when drunk.
 3. Perfect Voluntariness – It is present in human act when the agent fully knows (w/full
knowledge) and full intention or willfulness) the acts intends with.
example: if your work for the community theater is voluntary, that means that you don't get
paid for your time.
4. Imperfect Voluntariness – It is present when there is some defect in the agent's knowledge
intention or in both.
example: a person who signs away some rights in a contract without fully realizing what the
consequences of signing away those rights could be.
5. Conditional Voluntariness – Present in a person who is forced by circumstances beyond his
control to perform an act which he would not do under normal conditions.
example: the classmate has instructed you to do his assignment for him or else he's going to
spill your secret.
6. Simple Voluntariness – Is present in a human act performed whether the agent likes or
dislikes. doing it. It pertains to an act done for it is simply intended, or undone for it is simply
not intended.
example: person does not attend her class for she simply does not feel like attending.

C. KINDS OF HUMAN ACTS

1. Elicated Acts – are those performed by the Will but are not bodily externalized such as the
following:
 Wish — is the tendency of the Will towards an object, with out considering whether it is
attainable or not. The object of wishing includes the impossible, or that which is remotely
possible, such as winning the lotto.
 Intention — is the tendency of the Will towards an object which is attainable, without
necessarily committing oneself to get it. A student, for instance, may intend to study without
applying himself to the task.
 Consent — is the acceptance of the Will to carry out the intention. A student shows consent
to the act of studying when he accepts the reasons and accountability for undertaking the
act.
 Election — is the selection of the Will of those means necessary to carry out the intention.
The student, for instance, may elect to stay in the library to study his lesson, or seek a friend
to help him.
 Use — is the command of the Will to make use of the means elected to carry out the
intention, such as when the student makes up his mind to stay in the library to study.
 Fruition — is the enjoyment of the Will due to the attainment of the intention. The student
may feel satisfied about the prospect o learning the lesson and being prepared for the class.

2. Commended Acts – are the mental and bodily actions pet tormed under the command of the Will.
These are either internal or external actions.

 Internal Actions — are those performed mentally, such as reasoning, recalling, imagining,
and reflecting.
  External Actions — are those performed bodily, such as walking, dancing, talking, and
writing. All external actions derive themselves from the internal acts, since every deliberate
act is first thought of and decided mentally. Thus, philosopher speak of human acts as
"being first in intention, but last in execution (Paul Gienn, Ethics: A Class Manual in Moral
Philosophy, p.7-8).

The Significance of Human Acts

When people do things, it shows what they think and what they want. This can tell us if they are
good or bad. We judge people based on the things they do, just like we judge trees by the fruit they
produce. If someone does something bad, we say it is wrong. If someone does something good, we
say it is right. Sometimes people say they don't like the bad thing someone did, but they still like
the person. This can be okay if we are talking about someone who might be guilty of something.
But it is not okay if we are saying we should not blame people for doing bad things, even if the bad
things are really bad. This would mean we are okay with bad things happening. Sometimes parents
can be too nice to their kids, even when the kids do something wrong. Instead of being upset, they
think it's funny because their kids are clever.

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MULTIPLE CHOICES: Read and answer the question carefully.

1. Actions which involve the intellect and the will are called?

a. Human Acts

b. Acts of Man

c. Morality

d. Circumstances

(answer: A. Human Acts)

2. Actions done automatically like instincts that do not require the intellect and the will are called?

a. Human Rights

b. Acts of Man

c. Bill of Rights

d. Morality

(answer: B. Acts of Man)

3. Actions are judged as good or bad based on 3 aspects namely:

a. Knowledge, Neglect, and Peace

b. Knowledge, Neglect and Voluntariness

c. Knowledge, Freedom, and Peace

d. Knowledge, Freedom, and Voluntariness

(answer: D. Knowledge, Freedom, and Voluntariness)

4.What is freedom?

a. means no one obliged a person to act upon something.

b. means everyone obliges a person to act upon something.

c. means someone obliges a person to act upon something

d. none of the above.

(answer: A. means no one obliged a person to act upon something)

5. Human acts are determined as good or bad based on the 3 element namely;

a. Object, Circumstances, and Faith

b. Object, Circumstances, and Intention

c. Love, Laughter, Peace

d. Love, Action, Peace

(answer: B. Object, Circumstances, and Intention)

6. Intention refers to the purpose by which a person does an act.

a. True

b. False

(answer: A. True)

7. refers to the conditions by which a person decides to act in either good or bad way.

a. Knowledge

b. Consent
 c. Freedom

d. Circumstances

(answer: D. Circumstances)

8. The of the human act is practically the result of the act without considering the intention and
the circumstances by which the act is done.

a. subject

b. object

c. central

d. core

(answer: B. object)

9. Examples of acts of man are biological processes such as breathing, sleeping, or moving away
from something that causes bodily pain.

a. True

b. False

(answer: A. True)

10. Morality is concerned with human acts and acts of man.

a. True

b. False

(answer: B. False)

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“For you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you
whether you serve like Judas or like John.”

-C.S. LEWIS, The Problem of Pain